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Zorin desktop session
The default look within Zorin OS 9 is the Windows 7 interface and so if you are coming from Windows Vista or Windows 7 then you will find this an easier transition than perhaps using Ubuntu which comes with the Unity desktop. The screen shows the main desktop with a panel at the bottom. The screen shows the main desktop with a panel at the bottom. In the left corner of the panel there are icons for the menu (the big Z), Firefox web browser, the file manager and the Rhythmbox audio player. In the right side of the panel there are system tray style icons for bluetooth connectivity, network settings, power settings, audio settings, a clock and user settings. Clicking on the "Z" icon in the bottom corner brings up the menu. On the left is a list of categories and if you click on the category a list of applications appears. You can also search for an application by title or keyword. The right side of the menu gives you access to folders such as the home directory, documents, pictures, music and videos. Zorin Look Changer I mentioned earlier in the review that the unique selling point of Zorin is it's ability to morph itself to look like other desktop operating systems. In order to change the theme there is a tool called the Zorin Look Changer which is available under the System Tools category. The functionality couldn't be easier. Simply click on the interface you wish to use. Again, as mentioned earlier, in the free version you get the choice of Windows 7, Windows XP and Gnome 2 and for the the premium version you will also have Mac OSX, Unity and Windows 2000. The Windows themes are obviously going to be a draw for Windows users and I can see the temptation of using the Mac OSX theme. The Unity theme is a strange one as Zorin is based on Ubuntu. If you want to use Unity why not just use Ubuntu? Similarly the Gnome 2 desktop style interface can be achieved by using Mint with the MATE desktop. Zorin Theme Changer The Zorin developers have worked hard on the visual elements that make up Zorin and as well as making a customised desktop experience they have provided different themes as well. The themes available are Zorin Light, Zorin Blue and Zorin Dark. As mentioned on the Dark Duck blog there doesn't appear to be much difference between the blue and dark themes. To be able to change themes you have to use the Zorin Theme Changer tool which is available under the system tools menu. Desktop preferences In order to change the desktop background all you have to do is right click on the desktop and choose the cryptically titled "Change Desktop Background". Zorin provides a number of different backgrounds and they are all nice in their own way. If you prefer to use your own then all you have to do is click the plus symbol (+) and browse to the location of the image you wish to use. Desktop Effects As mentioned before, the Zorin developers have worked extensively on the visual side of things and there are a number of desktop effects provided. Switching between applications for instance can be achieved by holding the super key (Windows key) and the tab key, providing a three dimensional tiled window effect. Other effects include the ability to snap windows so that they appear side by side. You can also switch between applications by pressing Alt and Tab which provides a preview of each application in a row. Pressing Alt and F7 gives you the ability to move the current application around the screen and it snaps and twists as you do so. CTRL and S zooms out showing multiple desktops. The effects can be managed and changed by accessing the Compiz settings manager.